A Qualitative Study on the Impact of Mobile Technology among Students in Private Higher Education Institutions (PHEIs) in Peninsular Malaysia

Abstract

The introduction of mobile tools into our classroom spaces ought to be a catalyst for remarkable possibility and genuine change in how we engage learners in the work we pursue together. It should be a moment where we look collectively at what is now possible in how we engage and learn alongside our students and where we do some cultivating that allows us to pull out less timely practices or tools and evolve to what our students need now. It should be a vibrant time. Today?s knowledge-based economy requires that nations equip their citizens with appropriate skills and a demand for university education has continued to soar. In much of Peninsular Malaysia, the rapid increase in university enrollments has been matched with an expansion of the relevant infrastructure, resulting in among other things, adequate classrooms and libraries. There has also been a robust growth in the technology sector globally. This study examines the impact of mobile technology usage among students in PHEIs in Peninsular Malaysia and its implications on quality as well as possible contributions of mobile technology to learning. Challenges aside, the study concludes that mobile technology could be exploited to supplement learning as it enables the student to access academic and research materials from credible sources that are either on free-access or subscribed-for through their home university. The findings also add new understanding as regard to factors influencing students? intention to use mobile technology in higher education.